Keeping up with academic work on placement

It’s the final few months of your placement and you’ve been trusted enough to lead your own project, so deadlines are coming in thick and fast. Amongst the work you’re being paid for you realise that the final piece of university coursework reflecting on your placement year is due in a couple of weeks.

Do you panic? Try to work out how you’re going to fit in writing up to a 5000-word essay alongside your daily work tasks? No - you’ve been keeping a regular log of your activities, challenges you’ve faced, and skills you’ve gained over the duration of your placement (see template below). With all this information in one area you won’t have to think back to what you were doing seven months ago at the company, it was all documented at a time when everything was fresh in your mind. 

Monthly log example

Student name:
Date:

Whether you are a Life Sciences student like me - sending monthly updates to your department’s Placement Officer - or from another discipline, a well-kept log makes the end-of-year placement review far easier.

During my own placement, I had to write a 4,000‑word report covering the company’s background, my training, the projects I contributed to, and reflections on my personal development. I also submitted a scientific paper in SPF format based on one of the projects I led. Every department assesses placements differently, but almost all require a reflective write‑up. A detailed log turns this from a stressful task into a straightforward one.

The benefits of a monthly log does not stop at coursework; it also serves as a goldmine when it comes to updating your CV or having to write cover letters. Every future employer will ask about your employment history and being able to clearly demonstrate the skills you gained and the responsibilities you handled gives you a real advantage over graduates with no industry experience.

Keeping a log isn’t just a boring admin task, it’s an investment.